DUANE
Duane's take
Here's the story as the official marker tells it — my job's just to do it justice. Now, south-central Collin County holds a lot of old ground, and St. Paul is some of the oldest.
One of the earliest communities to put down roots in the whole county. And here's a thing the marker wants you to know right up front — before it was St. Paul, at some point this place went by the name Dump.
No elaboration offered. Just — Dump. We'll leave that right there and let it breathe.
The name St. Paul itself comes from the St. Paul Catholic Church, established way back in 1856.
That church anchored the community from the start, and before long this little settlement was filling in around it. Also in 1856, Methodist services were already gathering — not in any church building, mind you, but in the homes of Mark L. Morris and Will Spurgeon.
That's how faith moved in the early days. You opened your front door and made room. A permanent Methodist church home didn't arrive until the late 1890s, but in the meantime St.
Paul was growing. By the late 1800s, this community had two schools, two churches, a cemetery, a post office, a general store, a grist mill, a blacksmith shop, and a gin. For a place that had recently gone by the name Dump, that is a considerable civic resume.
The post office was established on May 12, 1876, with W.E. Marriott serving as the first postmaster. Education had started the same way as those Methodist services — in individual homes — until public schools took hold.
St. Paul ended up with two of them. One was at the Catholic Church, a two-story building the community itself put up.
The upper floor of that school was used by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish Catholic organization. The second school was the Morris school, constructed in 1873, and that building did double duty — sharing its walls with the Methodist church. Two schools, two congregations, one tight-knit community.
But the surrounding area simply wasn't large enough to support them both indefinitely. So the two schools combined. And eventually, the consolidated school joined with the Wylie school district.
The Catholic and Methodist congregations merged with churches in Wylie as well. The community was folding itself into something larger, the way small places sometimes do. St.
Paul incorporated in 1971, and it stands today as a reminder of what rural, agricultural life looked like in the early development of south-central Collin County — built on faith, hard work, and neighbors who knew how to share a building when they had to.
What the marker says
Located in South-Central Collin County, St. Paul is one of the oldest communities in the county. The name of the town comes from the St. Paul Catholic Church, which was established in 1856 and located in the area. At one time, the community was known as dump. In the late 1800s, St. Paul had two schools, two churches, a cemetery, a post office, a general store, a grist mill, blacksmith shop and a gin. The post office was established on May 12, 1876 with W.E. Marriott as the first postmaster. In addition to the Catholic Church, Methodist services began in the homes of Mark L. Morris and will Spurgeon as early as 1856 until a permanent church home was built in the late 1890s. Education in the area began in individual homes until public schools were established. The St. Paul community had two schools, at the Catholic Church and the Morris school, constructed in 1873, that shared the building with the Methodist church. The school at the Catholic Church was a two-story building built by the community. The upper floor was used by the ancient order of Hibernians, an Irish Catholic organization. At some point, these two schools combined as the surrounding community was not large enough to support them both. The schools consolidated with the Wylie school district, and the Catholic and Methodist congregations merged with churches in Wylie. St. Paul incorporated in 1971. This rural, agricultural community played a significant role in the early development of south-central Collin County. (2013)